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The English Department is pleased to present the latest Dawn M. Sisas Scholarship to first-year English student Emily Kasprzyk. The Sisas Scholarship goes to an outstanding first-year English major who attended Southern High School in Anne Arundel County.

Emily is enthusiastically stepping into the major with an interest in French, writing, and Emily Brontë, as well as an eye on being a television writer someday.

Emily: I’ve always really liked studying literature. Emily Brontë is currently my favorite writer. When I was deciding on a major, I thought that going through an intensive writing program would be really valuable for what I want to do, which is to be a writer for TV someday. I also want to explore technical writing.

I have an older sister, Maggie, who is a senior at UMD. She's an art education major and has been an integral part of my UMD experience, as well as someone who has been really supportive of my choice to pursue a creative degree. I'm really lucky to have her here with me!

Is there a person or career path you admire?

I’ve always pictured myself in the writers room with Liz Lemon on 30 Rock. Tina Fey’s character Liz even has this running gag that she was a UMD alum with a jazz scholarship. I like how funny and smart the show’s writing is. I think I might try to get involved with one of the comedy groups on campus or even take a theater class.

What classes have you enjoyed and are excited to take?

I had Dr. Weiss for English 101: Academic Writing last semester and he was a great professor. I might take one of his ENGL 391: Advanced Composition classes someday.

I'll be taking ENGL 301: Fields and Methods in the fall and I'm interested in eventually taking ENGL 376: Science Fiction on Page and Screen. I’m also looking forward to taking ENGL 275: Intro to Script Writing.

The English Department has been so helpful with me managing my major. Even before declaring English, I’ve had an interest in the major for awhile. It’s been a long time coming and I feel like I’m now where I’m supposed to be.